The Emergency Fund
by Queenafoster
Summary: Ford began noticing some changes around the house...his family seemed a lot busier
1. Chapter 1

The Emergency Fund

Crane dropped his glasses on the desk and massaged his eyelids. His math was screwed up; the two columns _ought_ to be equal...but they weren't. He'd messed up something somewhere—just no telling when or what. Or how long it would take to figure out. He stretched his neck to release the tension and sighed in defeat.

A small, unexpected sound caused him to turn around. Evan fingered the brim of his Stetson and looked back sympathetically. Crane was surprised to see him in the house in the middle of the day, but grateful since it gave him an excuse to put off figuring out his bad math. "Hey. What're you doing here?"

Evan winced, "Sounds like the numbers aren't coming out the way you want."

"No, 'fraid not." Crane scratched his brow, observing his brother. Evan was delaying for some reason. "What's up?"

Evan fiddled with his hat a few more seconds and bit his lip. "Well, uh, how'd you pay for college?"

Crane blinked in surprise. "I thought you didn't want to go on to school."

"I don't."

"Then why are you asking?"

"Just wondering."

Crane lifted a brow in speculation. "It's not too late, you know, for either you or Daniel. I know you've skipped this year, but lots of kids take a year off after high school."

Evan breathed a laugh, "Crane, I'm _not_ going to college. Except for the occasional rodeo, this is where I want to be. I'm a cowboy."

"Then what's going on? Ya need money for something else?"

Evan got serious again, "Ford wants to go."

Crane breathed deeply. "Yeah. No big surprise there." Ford was a junior in high school. "For sure?"

"I found the brochures in our room. He didn't leave 'em out, so he's not dropping hints. And he's not said anything." He paused and then, "When I came in the other night, I was out of clean socks. I found the brochures in his drawer when I went to borrow a pair." His slight shrug seemed to imply guilt over the invasion of Ford's privacy.

Crane washed his face with one hand—now who was delaying? But to answer Evan's question..."When I went, I had a couple of small scholarships, some grants, some loans. And we still had a little from Mom and Dad's life insurance."

Evan sucked air through his teeth, a sound of resignation. "None of that left."

"Not by a long shot."

"We gotta figure something out. Ford's like you. He's smart enough to really get something good outta college."

Crane looked at him wryly, "So are you. And Daniel. And Brian and Adam. And Guthrie."

Evan rolled his eyes. "Fine. Smart enough, maybe, but me, Daniel, and Brian...that's not us. You and Adam, Ford and Guthrie, you guys are the ones who go to college."

Crane shook his head in resignation. This was an old argument.

Evan looked down, "Well, can ya think about it? And don't mention it to Ford. He finds out, he'll dig in and say he don't want to go."

"Awfully stubborn when he wants to be."

"Yeah." Evan slapped his hat against his thigh and headed outside. Crane watched him leave and then turned back to the books. Now his mind wrestled another problem, one bigger and not as easily solved as balancing the accounts: how to come up with enough money to cover college expenses for Ford and probably Guthrie. Crane had hoped to have another year before they had to worry about it, but since Evan had brought it up...the quicker they figured out a plan, the longer they had to work it out.

**SB4SB**

That afternoon, Daniel looked at Evan stretching wire and glanced back to where they'd started after lunch. They got a lot done when they worked together, but they weren't _really_ together today. Evan's mind was somewhere else. Nothing Daniel could put a finger on, but he knew Evan almost as well as himself. And he was chewing on something—had been for a couple of days. And it was time for him to spill. "What ya thinking about?"

"Nothing."

"It's _some_thing."

"You think you know me so well?"

"Well enough."

Evan went back to working the fence. Daniel kept hold of his end of the wire. He just had to wait for Evan to get around to talking.

After a while, "I already asked Crane."

"So it's a secret?"

Evan paused, "Not really. Just..."

"Ya don't have to tell me."

Evan moved to the next post. Daniel secured his end as the wire stretched between them, and then he moved on down the line.

"Ford wants to go to college. I asked Crane about the money."

Daniel blew out a long breath. "Oh."

"Yeah."

"Do we need to worry about it already? He's only a junior."

"Thought it might take us a while to figure out. And I'm not sure how much college costs."

Daniel stapled the wire taut as Evan unrolled more from the spool. "Crane have any suggestions?"

Evan grunted as he picked up the strap and wire, pulling it tight. "Not really. He had scholarships and grants and loans and some money left over from Mom and Dad's life insurance."

"Oh."

"Yeah."

Daniel moved past Evan to the next post. "Maybe we could raise the money somehow."

"How?"

Daniel shrugged, "Same way we always do. A little here, a little there."

Evan looked at him briefly. "We'd have to do it on the sly. Ford finds out, and he'll say he don't want to go. He finds out we're all working to save money for him, he'll stubborn up."

"He's a mule."

Evan grinned, "Wonder where he gets that?"

Daniel giggled. "When did you move into a glass house?"

"When it comes to stubbornness, I don't think any of us can talk. Hannah, neither."

Daniel just kept laughing. "So we won't tell him."

"Just save all this money and never mention why?"

"We can say we're saving it for something else."

"Like what?"

"I don't know. I'll talk to Crane. We'll come up with something."

**SB4SB**

The next morning after Ford and Guthrie left for school, Crane called a family meeting. Adam and Hannah, Brian, Crane, Daniel, and Evan gathered in the living room.

"So, Evan brought up a problem yesterday, and we need to talk about it."

Adam, Hannah, and Brian still didn't know what was going on, and they looked at Evan.

"I found a bunch of college brochures in our room the other day."

Adam nodded. "Not surprising. Ford works hard on his grades."

Brian looked at the assembled family, "How're we gonna pay for that?"

Hannah spoke up, "We might also start thinking about Guthrie. I bet he'll want to go, too."

Crane nodded, "Yeah, I thought about that. And then Daniel and I talked last night. We think we ought to start saving now."

Hannah shook her head. "Ford'll never agree to that. He finds out we're doing something special for him, he'll refuse the money."

Crane agreed, "So we won't let him know what we're saving for. We'll start a special account and call it the 'Emergency Fund.'"

Brian rubbed his chin, "Where're we gonna find the money for this 'fund?'"

Crane shrugged. "Here and there. Where we always get money. If you win a bet, deposit the money in the 'Emergency Fund.' Daniel makes some extra money with the band; put it in the 'Emergency Fund.' Evan wins at a rodeo—in the 'Emergency Fund.' A bit here and there and it'll add up."

Adam pinched his lower lip in thought. "Starting this early should give us plenty of time to get the money together."

Hannah looked around, "Is there any reason why he couldn't try for scholarships and grants?"

Crane nodded, "Absolutely, he should. Hannah, you've always been good with him and school. Maybe you could ask if he's been thinking about it. Talk to the guidance counselor. Starting early will give him a better shot."

"I can do that."

Adam looked around, "So we've decided? We're gonna start putting whatever extra money we can scrounge into a new account at the bank and call it the 'Emergency Fund.'"

Brian objected, "Wait a minute. What if we actually have an emergency? I mean, we only have one or two catastrophes a week around here."

Crane's glare was withering. "Well, if we have to raid the 'Emergency Fund' for an actual emergency, we'll just have to replace the money. But from here on out, it's called the 'Emergency Fund' or the 'Emergency Account.' I'll get it set up at the bank."


	2. Chapter 2

Ford began noticing some changes around the house. His family seemed a lot busier. Guthrie also picked up on it and asked Ford if something was going on, but if there was, nobody told him.

It began when Brian took on extra work at the Middleton Lumber Mill when a couple of their regular guys had to quit the season early. Brian was one of the few people who'd been trained to work some of the heavy equipment up there, and when they asked him to help out, he jumped at the chance. A temp job to repair the Jeep a couple of years back had become a good way for him to stretch his wings a bit. It also reminded him how much he loved his home and the work he did on the ranch…absence making the heart grow fonder and all that. The time away always seemed to help him refocus when he returned to the Circle Bar Seven. And he enjoyed seeing Ben Shepard again. It was good, temporary work, so whenever the mill called, Brian occasionally took off a couple weeks to earn a little extra money. And a healthy portion of his earnings went into a new account at the bank…their Emergency Fund.

Hannah started working at the cafe for Marie whenever she needed extra help. And a caterer in Sonora asked Hannah to make desserts for his company after she won the Carbon County baking competition at the fair. The fact that she was used to cooking for a crowd worked in her favor, so she was able to add it into her regular routine without too much trouble. The extra money she brought in also went into the Emergency Fund.

Daniel kept working the ranch and with his band. A few members of the group changed as some of the guys moved away or decided to concentrate on other things, but Daniel continued working on his music. The group developed a reputation as one of the best bands in the region. And as the driving force behind their original material, Daniel was the main contact and de facto manager. Crane and Hannah got used to taking messages when people called to hire them; they soon needed a separate calendar to keep track of his gigs. Eventually, a real manager suggested a tour of the northwest. They were gone for about two months—most of November, early December, and the better part of January during Ford's junior year of high school. They had stops in California, Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Nevada, and ended up in Tahoe. They received good notices and reviews, and the tour was deemed a huge success. Daniel spent a small fortune in change calling home to update the family on the audiences, what he'd seen, where they were going next, and when he'd be home. The band even made a decent profit after expenses, and they got a lot of valuable exposure as well. People were calling, and more gigs were scheduled out of state. And again, most of the extra money Daniel earned went into the Emergency Fund.

He also had fairly regular work as a mechanic. After he and Adam had co-driven the winning car for Walt Henry in the Goldrush race, it got around that Daniel and Walt had rebuilt the engine in that car themselves. That kind of advertising was priceless, and Daniel occasionally got calls from people looking for assistance on their rides. He helped in out Walt's Garage from time to time, and Walt gave out Daniel's name and number on request. Daniel worked a few weeks a year for Walt and then on three or four cars for private owners. The proceeds generally went to the Fund.

Evan also donated to it. He'd always dreamed of being a professional rodeo cowboy, and he'd taken Cooper Johnson's class to improve his skills. The tough ex-champ had left a number of bruises on Evan's hide and ego, but he'd learned a great deal about how to stick to a bronc and bull and how to rope and wrangle against the clock. At the end of the class, Evan won the Carbon County Junior Rodeo, but a close friend had been seriously injured at the event. Evan's half-baked plan of dropping out of school to ride the circuit was quickly dumped, but he never got rodeo out of his system. He stayed in school, continued working on the ranch, but also entered regional events. And most of the time, finished in or close to the money. But in the year following Evan's graduation from high school, Ford noticed that Evan stepped up his rodeo participation, meaning more travel and fees. The increased practice and competition led to better rides, and Evan started scoring more prizes. And he always lived cheap on the road, so it wasn't as costly as it could have been. He bought an old pickup to drive to the rodeos and slept in it more often than not.

He also developed a reputation for training horses. Breaking a green horse to saddle and bridle and to respond to rein and leg cues involved hours of work. Evan loved horses, and they loved him; he excelled at training. Occasionally, folks brought their horses to the Circle Bar Seven. Other times, Evan went to the owner's ranch. Depending on the situation, Evan could make two or three hundred dollars a horse. So even when he wasn't at a rodeo, he was frequently working somewhere else besides their ranch.

Evan's rising reputation on the circuit and as a horse trainer also increased the prestige of the Circle Bar Seven which was now breeding some excellent stock out of their _two_ blooded bulls. Adam, Brian, and Crane had worked hard to put money aside, and just before Evan graduated high school, they'd been able to purchase a second stud. It increased the quality and number of their own stock, and they were also able to service more local herds and sell semen to distant ranches that didn't have their own bull. The studs generated extra money, allowing them to pay off the ranch's loans quicker and put money into a _second_ emergency fund as well. Ford wasn't exactly sure why they needed two accounts for the same purpose, but that's what his older brothers did with the money.

Another change in the family had nothing to do with new bank accounts. Doctor Molly McGraw returned home soon after Ford finished his junior year of high school. After completing her internship in equine surgery, Molly came back to California, and she and Crane picked up right where they'd left off. It wasn't long before Crane proposed, and they quickly married. After the wedding, Daniel moved into Evan and Ford's room to give the newlyweds some space of their own. Eventually, Crane and Molly moved into a local rooming house, and Brian and Guthrie took over their empty bedroom.

As all these changes in the house, ranch, and family occurred over almost two years, Ford certainly noticed but was too busy to mention it very often. Mostly, he just assumed it was the natural order of things. Of course, Crane and Molly would want a little privacy—they _were_ newlyweds. Just because Adam and Hannah had settled in the ranch house didn't mean the rest of the brothers would. After all, space had always been a problem. Crane came to the ranch every day to work with his brothers like before; he just didn't live in the house anymore. And on the up side, Guthrie got a permanent bedroom for the first time since he was little.

And Daniel had always longed for a career in music—they all knew that. Ford loved to sing, but not like his brother. For Daniel, it was like breathing...necessary for continued life. And though Ford missed Daniel when he was touring with the band, Ford wanted his brother to succeed. They all had dreams. Ford couldn't very well expect Daniel to sit on his just because Ford missed him when he was gone.

But what really bothered Ford was Evan. He'd had a talent and dream for rodeo since he was little, but Ford thought Evan mostly worked it out of his system when Coop Johnson's daughter got hurt. After that, he quit talking about going on the road. He continued working the ranch and only occasionally participated in rodeos held fairly close to home. But a few months after graduating high school, it seemed like Evan got rodeo fever all over again. He started entering events that were farther away—some so big they lasted for days. Or he entered several distant rodeos held on consecutive weekends and would be gone for weeks at a time. He always planned these trips around important ranch activities, but still, it seemed like home was becoming a stopover for Evan. He joined the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association, and the ranch frequently got mail about upcoming events. Ford was about to start tossing out the announcements before Evan even saw them just to keep him home a little more. Evan slept in their room when he was there, but he was on the road _a lot_. If he arrived home after everybody had gone to bed, he usually just slept on Guthrie's old bed under the stairs. It wasn't at all unusual for the family to come down for breakfast and find him there. And when Evan wasn't on the circuit, there was a good chance he'd be off somewhere training horses. At least then he was usually within driving distance (instead of Wyoming or Colorado or who knew where) and might come home on weekends or every other Wednesday to remember what his family looked like. But even then, it was for just a few hours and he was gone again.

Ford had known their lives would change as everyone grew up. Nothing ever stayed the same—it couldn't. But the changes made him sad...and sometimes angry. Except for Adam, Hannah, and Guthrie, everybody seemed to have something more important to do that kept the family scattered. Adam, Brian, and Crane had always insisted on keeping the family together. After their folks died, nothing was more vital. The family and the ranch existed and subsisted on the maintenance of the other. Without the family, the ranch would cease to exist. Without the ranch, they couldn't maintain and support the family. Now it seemed the ranch was finally on solid financial footing—they even had two healthy emergency funds—but the family was a bit thin and far flung. It didn't seem to be a priority for anyone anymore.

Adam was still the nominal head of the family...he certainly was of Ford and Guthrie. But he let the rest of them make their own decisions by and large. Of course, they were supposedly grown up and legally responsible for themselves, but their choices made it seem like the family was of secondary importance. And Adam didn't seem inclined to do anything to change their minds. He, Brian, and Crane might mention that they expected attendance on certain jobs. And to their credit, everybody showed up. Things generally ran on a yearly cycle at the ranch, and the brothers tried to work around the big events. It kept Adam, Brian, and Crane pretty busy trying to schedule everything on one calendar that included Brian's logging, Daniel's gigs and mechanic work, and Evan's rodeos and horse training.

Ford was certainly happy for his brothers—that they were successful at what they loved—but he thought their priorities needed an adjustment. He'd tried to talk to Adam and Crane, but they brushed off his concerns. Ford just couldn't understand how they didn't see the problem. And if Ford was able to get enough money to go to UC Davis, what would happen to the family then? Of course, Crane had gone to school and the family managed to stay together, but that was when most of them were kids. Now, almost everybody was grown and scattered around the country half the time.

Ford finally decided he wouldn't go to college. Yes, he wanted to continue his education and had planned to study animal science and management, but nobody else seemed to care about keeping the family together. If he had to be the one to hold them close, then that's exactly what he'd do. He'd just concentrate on the ranch. It was good enough for his father and Adam; it would be good enough for him, too.

So he decided to withdraw his name from the scholarship committees. But as his senior year progressed, he never got around to it. When the deadlines arrived, something always came up. Ford finally decided he just didn't have the gumption to give up his own dreams of college. He was disgusted to find he was no more committed to the family than anybody else. And that made him angrier and more frustrated than ever. Just a couple of months before graduation, and he was full of loathing for himself and anger at his brothers.

Ford was stewing on his own selfishness and working in the barn the afternoon before heading out on spring roundup...meaning everybody was home. He should enjoy having them all together again, but he couldn't help being angry about the changes happening around and to his life. It seemed like having everybody there just made Ford dwell on what was missing when someone was absent. All this was going in circles in his head when Evan came into the barn with Diablo as Ford was mucking out the stalls.

"Hey!"

"Hey." Ford's voice was cool and clipped in anger.

"How's it going?"

"Fine." Rage ran so close to the surface, Ford couldn't stand to even look at his brother.

"Just...fine?"

"Yep."

Evan paused, then, "Okay. Need some help?"

"Don't know why I'd need it now." Ford kept shoveling and felt Evan's gaze as he unsaddled his horse.

"Anything going on?"

"No more'n usual." Ford refused to allow an interruption in his work or his seething anger.

Evan picked up a brush to groom Diablo. "Did I do something wrong?"

"Don't know how. You're never here."

Evan stopped to look at him. "I'm here now."

"Yeah. You show up when we need help. Otherwise, it's all about you and your career as a bronc rider and horse trainer."

"What're you talking about, Ford?"

Ford's voice rose with the bite of anger. "I'm saying you don't care about anything except yourself and your big career!"

"What?" Evan moved closer and touched Ford's arm, "Ford—"

Long pent up fury exploded, and his roundhouse punch landed on Evan's cheek. Evan went down like a ton of bricks, and he shook his head to clear the cobwebs. His face was a picture of stunned disbelief as Ford stood over him.

"We get along just fine without you when you're out working for yourself—you and Brian and Daniel all! We don't need you to come home just for roundup! There's more to being a family than just getting the work on the ranch done—not that you care! You're too self-centered to understand or even notice, so why don't you just stay gone!"

Ford took a breath and suddenly realized what he'd just said…to the brother he'd roomed with almost since birth. The brother who'd shared a bed with him when Ford cried for their parents. The brother he'd _missed_ so much.

The brother he just punched and told to stay away.

Ford didn't know what to _do_ with so much anger; it was burning him up inside. "Just leave me alone!" He threw down the shovel and fled, leaving Evan where he fell.


	3. Chapter 3

Evan didn't show up for supper. His truck was gone, too. Ford looked around the table, wondering if his brothers knew what had happened that afternoon. He was confused and mortified by his actions. He'd spent the rest of the day trying to figure out what was wrong with him. Life was changing around him, and he was trying to hold on to how it used to be. He was angry and sad and missing the old days. And he took that anger out on Evan. Surely, his brother would know Ford didn't mean it? Evan was his best friend, and Ford missed him fiercely when he was gone. In frustration, he'd lashed out in both word and act. Now, he needed to square things. In the worst way.

Adam looked around the table. "Where's Evan?"

Hannah spoke up, "He called and said he had a date and not to wait up."

Brian laughed. "Home a few days, and he's already got a girl. Being a rodeo star sure has benefits."

Daniel reached for the potatoes, "I'd like to know when he's had time to find a date. He's been working dawn to dusk since he got home, and he's hit the sack every night. I don't think he's even called anybody to let 'em know he's home. I'm kinda surprised."

Ford focused on his plate to avoid looking at his brothers. He wondered if Evan really had a date or if he was just steering clear of Ford and, by necessity, the rest of the family as well.

Adam spoke up again, "Well, he's been working his butt off since he got home. I guess we can give him one night out before we drag him into the mountains for a week."

The conversation flowed around him, but Ford paid scant attention. He wondered where Evan had gone and how to repair the damage he'd done that afternoon. He didn't want to consider the possibility that he might not be able to.

**SB4SB**

Not having slept well, Ford got up as soon as he heard Hannah moving around the next morning. The brothers were leaving early, and everybody would be up soon. He needed to see if Evan made it home. He wasn't in their room, but maybe he'd crashed downstairs. Ford followed Hannah down and paused on the corner landing when she turned.

"Looks like Evan finally got in."

Ford's eyes roved over the sleeping form on the bed under the stairs. Evan was twisted up in the blanket. That's how he always slept…curled up with the covers wrapped around him like a papoose.

Hannah turned back to Ford and quirked an eyebrow. "I could tell you were worried last night; now you know he made it home just fine. So why don't you make sure everybody else is up? Adam's wanting an early start."

"Okay." Ford grinned like he'd been caught out. He had been worried but not for the reason Hannah thought. He just needed to apologize and make it right with his brother.

He pounded back up the stairs making as much noise as possible to make sure everybody was awake. He opened Adam's door and saw he was getting dressed, then he moved to Brian and Guthrie's room. Guthrie, especially, was usually hard to rouse, and Brian wasn't much better which made them perfect roommates. But this morning, they were both already moving around. They must be anticipating the big day as well.

Ford headed into the room he shared with Daniel and Evan. Daniel sat on the side of his bed, rubbing his head so that his hair stuck out in all directions.

"Evan make it home?"

"Asleep downstairs."

Daniel spoke around a huge yawn as he stretched. "Did you hear him come in last night?"

"No, and I was awake till at least midnight, so it had to be after that."

Daniel shook his head and laughed. "He's gonna be hard to get up today."

Ford pulled on his clothes and headed back downstairs to try and catch Evan, but he was too late. Adam stood over the bed, tugging at the blanket. "Evan! Up and at 'em! If you're gonna stay out late, you gotta be able to get up in the morning."

The pile of covers grunted a reply,"Yeah, yeah, I'm awake. I'm coming." Adam moved off through the laundry room. The rest of the McFaddens came stomping down the stairs and pushed Ford along in front of them. They each hollered an exceedingly loud greeting to Evan as they passed—just to make sure he was awake. As the last yell echoed, Ford heard an irritated, "I said I'm up!" from the lump on the bed. "Be right there." Sounded tired. Ford wondered what time he got home and how he spent his evening.

A few minutes after they sat down, Crane opened the kitchen door and slid into place beside Hannah. He reached for the plate of eggs, "Morning, everybody. Glad to see we're all raring to go." He glanced around the table. "Well, almost. Where's Evan?"

Brian talked around his mouthful of food, "He had a date last night. Got home late."

Crane bounced his brows. "Not gonna be a good morning for him." Which drew a grin or laugh from everybody except Ford.

Just then, Evan flew around the corner and slipped in between Crane and Brian. "Morning. Sorry I'm late."

Adam looked up. "Not too late. Whoa! What happened to you?"

Evan glanced around at everybody…except Ford. "Sorry, I shoulda warned you."

Brian grasped Evan's chin to inspect the black eye. From his own vast experience, Brian was the family expert on shiners and bloody noses. "Somebody got you good. Tell me you didn't embarrass me."

Evan grinned, "Well, as I was lying there, all I could think was that I didn't want to embarrass Brian."

Brian aimed an evil eye at him and gently pushed his head away. "Well, tell me ya got in at least one good punch."

Crane tugged Evan around. "Let me see that."

Hannah winced as she looked at him critically. "Can you even see out of that eye? It's almost swollen shut. Did you put some ice on it when it happened?"

Evan gently pulled his chin out of Crane's grip. "I can see fine, and I didn't have any ice." He reached for the bacon.

Daniel piped up, "What happened?"

Evan worked on slicing his biscuit and making it in to a sandwich with bacon, eggs, and tomato. "This guy started hitting on the girl I was with. I objected." Evan was concentrating _real hard_ on his food.

Brian shrugged, "That's a good reason. Just tell me ya landed a few of your own."

"You're not gonna hear I got beat up. I didn't embarrass the family name or anything."

Guthrie had the last question and delivered it with a teasing voice. "Did ya get the girl?"

Evan waited a beat and lifted a sarcastic eyebrow. "Do you know what time I got home this morning?" That apparent explanation got a laugh from everyone.

Adam shook his head, "Hey, don't be giving Guthrie any ideas. One McFadden—" He glanced at Brian with a pointed look, "—or two—fighting in a bar is enough."

Brian blinked in mock innocence and moral superiority. "I was in bed on time. I'm an angel and a positive role model for my impressionable younger brothers." Which made everybody crack up again.

Ford studied Evan—who still hadn't look at him—and went over his explanation again, trying to sort fact from fiction. He only lied _for sure_ once. The black eye was courtesy of Ford's punch and certainly preceded Evan going out. Otherwise, he just evaded the family's questions or gave vague answers that were open to interpretation. Ford wondered if he'd even had a date.

Breakfast was hurried up, and everybody went to finish getting ready and grab their gear except Crane and Hannah who went to saddle the horses. She wasn't going on this trip as she had some catering jobs this weekend and next. Ford tried to grab a second with Evan, but in the rush to get in the bathroom one last time and make sure they had all the needed supplies, Ford didn't get a chance. He couldn't even catch Evan's eye, and Ford figured Evan was probably avoiding him on purpose. Which would certainly serve him right.

As they rode into the mountains, Ford tried to get a minute with his brother in relative privacy on the trail, but that didn't work out either. Evan had been gone for most of the last month with several back to back rodeos in South Dakota and Wyoming, and the distance made it impractical for him to come home between events. Even though he'd been back for several days, the guys still had tons of questions about where he'd been, who he'd met, how he'd ridden, and all the rest. And Evan was definitely avoiding Ford. Every time Ford tried to ride closer to Diablo, Evan reined in another direction or started a conversation with somebody else.

As they rode into the roundup camp they used about every six months, Adam started giving orders to make it livable again, and the brothers scattered in all directions. Ford started collecting wood, and Evan began unsaddling the horses and getting them settled for the night. He cleared some deadfall from the area where they hitched the horses, and Ford seized the opportunity to catch him alone.

He kept his voice pitched low. "Evan."

Evan shook his head and refused to meet his eyes. "I'm not gonna fight with ya, Ford. This ain't the time or place. We got a long week ahead of us; let's just get through it."

"Evan, I'm sorry. I didn't mean what I said."

Evan kept working and took a minute to respond. "Not so sure about that. Lotta anger in that punch. Ya been sitting on it a while." Sounded a little mad and still wouldn't look at him.

Ford winced at the memory, "I'm sorry about that, too."

Evan shook his head in dismissal and finally, briefly, glanced at him. "Don't worry about it. I make decent money riding half wild horses that don't want me around either. Nice right hook, though; it'd make Brian proud."

Ford stared at him. That wasn't what he meant. "Evan—."

Evan managed a brief, completely fake grin. "Forget it—it's fine. Come on, we gotta get done before we lose the light." He turned away to continue unsaddling the horses as Brian walked up to unpack the supplies. Ford sighed in frustration at the lost opportunity. He'd just have to find time to square this later when Evan might give him a chance to explain. Damn his McFadden temper.


	4. Chapter 4

As the early part of the week passed, the brothers settled in to rounding up cattle, vaccinating them, and branding the new calves. They divvied up the ones they were going to herd back to the ranch and let the rest back out to roam. They split into teams, all of them working with someone different from time to time. Unfortunately, it was never just Evan and Ford. They did work together a couple of times but always with a third partner. If Ford didn't know better, he'd have thought the whole family was conspiring to keep them apart.

They'd been on the job for five uncomfortable days when he, Evan, and Adam were working a far section of the range. It was a difficult piece of land with large, craggy boulders and ravines that gave the cattle plenty of places to hide, so the brothers split up to cover more ground. And unfortunately, Ford found a calf trapped halfway down a steep, ugly crevice. The heifer stood at the top, bawling at her baby. Ford searched the slope, trying to figure out the best way to reach the calf. He finally decided to tie off his rope and then ride around to the bottom so he could climb up. That route looked a lot safer, and he clearly remembered Adam taking a bad fall a few years back while climbing down from the top.

Everything worked according to plan till he reached the calf half way up the rocky slope. Not being used to people yet, the calf kicked out, and Ford slipped. He grappled for a hand or foot hold and managed only to get tangled in both the rope and some brush. It stopped his fall, but he got twisted up and couldn't seem to work everything loose. His ankle got turned, and it didn't want to bear weight. He struggled for a while and then hung there a minute trying to figure out how to get out of the mess.

"Ford?! Ford, you down there?!"

He breathed a sigh of relief at Evan's call. "I'm stuck!"

"Ya all right?"

"Pretty much; just can't get loose!"

There wasn't any answer after that, but shortly, another rope fell across the face of the rock. Ford looked up as the rope twitched a bit and then he saw Evan pick his way down from the top. Ford watched closely, ready to call out if necessary, but Evan was cautious and accurately judged where and when to move. In minutes, he was beside Ford.

Evan's concerned eyes examined Ford from head to toe. "Ya all right?"

"I slipped and got my foot caught. Twisted my ankle. I can't put much weight on it." Ford knew he should've been more careful around the calf. A stupid mistake.

Evan untangled Ford's foot and rope and did a quick check of arms and legs. Then he pressed a bandana against Ford's temple while a critical eye roamed over his face. "A little blood there. Head hurt?"

Ford reached up to touch the area, surprised at the red dot on his finger. "Must've scraped it when I slipped."

Evan studied him briefly then looked up and down the crevice wall. "Well, I figure the best way to get you out of here is on my back. You got a preference for up or down?"

Ford looked at him in alarm and then at the rocky face of the steep hillside. He'd assumed Evan would free him and then help him down, but riding on his back never entered Ford's mind. "Are you crazy?"

"Ya can't put weight on that ankle. Ya might fall again and hurt it worse." He rolled his eyes, "Then I'd be in trouble, too. Besides, we can't have ya graduating on crutches."

"Evan, I'm as big as you are. You can't do this."

Evan snorted, "Watch me."

Full of misgivings, Ford assisted as Evan worked a strap around Ford and attached it to his rappelling harness. Ford climbed on Evan's back and held his own rope to help with balance and weight. Evan's center of gravity was going to be off, and he'd need all the help he could get.

"Hang on." Evan worked them over to an area clear of brush and slowly began to descend the treacherous slope. Ford held his line and his breath while Evan's became more labored as they inched their way down. His steady hands and feet never faltered. When they finally reached the bottom, Ford let out a sigh of relief big enough for both of them.

Evan unhooked the strap and helped Ford sit down and then climbed back up to the calf. Penitent, Ford sat at the bottom and watched his brother. Evan wasn't usually so quiet. The very limited conversation between them was a sign of how much Ford had hurt him. The rest of the guys hadn't noticed the stilted manner or guarded looks as Evan acted fine with everybody else.

Knowing he might not get a better chance, Ford went over how he planned to apologize as he watched Evan harness the calf and work his way down the rocks a second time. Back at the bottom, Evan jogged to the canyon entrance to retrieve Ford's horse. Finally, he came back to where Ford sat watching him.

Evan took a deep breath, sounding resigned. "How ya doing?"

"I never knew you were so strong."

Evan ignored the compliment and squatted down. "Let's see your ankle. Can you get your boot off?" He tugged, trying to remove it. All business.

Ford had to clear the air. He had to _fix_ this. "Evan, listen to me—please. I've got something to say, and I need you to hear it." He paused, watching Evan sigh in defeat. "I'm _sorry_. Sorry and ashamed. For what I said and for hitting you. I didn't mean it—_any_ of it. Everything's just...changed so much at home. And I understand why it's changed, but I still miss the old days. I'm sad and mad and frustrated, seems like all the time lately. And I just— I miss you. And Brian and Daniel when they're gone. And I miss Crane not living at home even though he's there every day. And now _I'm_ getting ready to go off to college. I just don't want to lose the closeness we have as a family. Everybody's going in their own directions these days; it seems inevitable that we'll lose what we have…when for so long, that closeness was _all_ we had. I was just angry at...everything. And you ended up the target. Please, Evan. I swear I didn't mean what I said."

Evan had sat quietly through the apology, and he searched Ford's face carefully. After a moment, he nodded and summoned a quick grin—a real one. "It's okay. You're never gonna lose me. Or Brian or Daniel." He looked over at the calf, wandering around searching for his mother. "Ya know, when I'm on the road, not a day goes by when I don't think of the family. Wish I was home. Especially at night when I'm trying to go to sleep. I'm in the truck or at some other ranch, wishing I could hear you and Daniel around me. Wish I was on my own mattress with the smells and sounds of the house all around. Or at the table when food and conversation are flying in ten different directions. Or working with my brothers every day—on our _own_ ranch. I miss it, too. Too much to ever leave permanently. This is home. This is my real life. Rodeo's a whole different world…not what I thought it would be."

Ford examined his brother as he spoke, trying to understand. "But you're so good at it. And training horses. I thought you loved it. It's always been your dream."

"I do love it—when I'm in the arena. Me and the horse and the crowd and the clock—it's great. Like nothing else in the world. But that leaves a lot of down time, and it's pretty lonely. Plenty of bruises, too. That life is a lot harder than I ever understood—though Coop Johnson tried to tell me. When I dreamed of being a rodeo cowboy, I never realized how much I would miss being home. And after almost two years, I could stop right now—just do rodeos around here—except that I'm good advertising for the ranch. On the circuit and as a trainer, it's free promotion for us when I do well. Whenever some local paper comes to interview the winners, I always try to mention that I live on the Circle Bar Seven Ranch in Murphys, California. And the horse training, well, I tell the owners we have cattle and studs whenever I have a training job. And all of it brings in money for the ranch."

Ford looked at his brother in surprise. He'd thought Evan was in it for the fame and notoriety, selfishly pursuing his own interests, but that wasn't the case at all. He was still working for the family. Maybe not how it best suited him personally at the moment, but in the way that would bring the most help for the ranch and, by association, the family. Ford was ashamed of himself and his assumptions. "Tell me you forgive me. Please."

Evan's gap toothed smile erupted as he laughed. "I forgive you. Can we just drop it now?"

Ford smiled gratefully as a weight fell off him. He noted the fading bruising around Evan's eye. "You should've decked me when I hit you."

Evan grinned, "If you hadn't run out so quick, I probably would've. But after you left, I had time to think about it, and I realized hitting you back wouldn't solve anything."

"Did you really have a date the other night?"

Evan made a wry face as he gently pulled Ford's boot off. "I haven't had time to breathe since I got home, much less make a date with a girl."

"Then where were you?" Ford winced and visually examined his foot as Evan felt for displaced bones. It was a swollen and pretty tender but not as bad as he expected.

"I drove into the national forest and parked by one of the creeks, trying to figure out why you were so mad. I fell asleep in the truck, listening to the water. When I woke up, it was two in the morning, and I drove home. I just didn't want a big scene—you were already upset. And we were coming up here. I didn't want to be fighting while we were stuck in camp. Remember that didn't turn out so good for me the last time. I've just been trying to give ya some space."

Ford didn't think he deserved Evan's easy forgiveness. "Thanks. And thanks for rescuing me just now. And for being a good brother."

Evan smirked to hide his blush, "Cut the mush, huh? Let's see if you can walk on this." He assisted Ford to stand, and he was sort of able to get around with a limp. Ford knew it was a sprain and would heal if he could wrap it and go easy for a while. Although how he was going to do that on roundup was a good question. He imagined he'd be spending a lot more time in the saddle and less on the ground. Evan boosted him up on Kitt and then climbed on behind to ride back up the hill to retrieve Evan's horse. On the way, they reunited the heifer and calf and herded them forward.

Ford shook his head as they moved along. "Don't know how I'm gonna explain this to the family."

Evan shrugged slightly. "Don't see why they'd need an explanation. It's just you and me. We've dealt with it. As far as they know, I got in a fight over a girl."

"I feel guilty that you're being so nice after I was such a jerk."

Evan laughed, "I'm sure I'll find a way for you to repay me. But next time I tell you to get off my back, don't argue with me, huh? You're heavy!"

Ford chuckled at the bad joke. Very Evan. "From now on, I'm gonna be stuck on you like a cocklebur!"

Evan cracked up. They got to the top of the hill where Evan had left Diablo, and he switched to his own horse after retrieving their ropes. Ford started singing, _'He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother,'_ as they rounded up the three animals Evan had picked up on his circle. Then they headed back to meet Adam who was getting impatient and asked what took so long.

Ford regaled Adam with the story of Evan's rescue, praising his super-human strength even as Evan scoffed that Ford was just an overgrown version of the calf. By the time they got back to camp, the story had been stretched and humorized and was taking on mythic proportions, and for once, Ford intentionally made himself the center of attention. He was already working on more details for the next recounting to make it even bigger. Before long, the story would become _The Story_ instead of dwelling on the discussion that mended his relationship with Evan. He wanted _The Story_ to become an epic of legendary dimensions although Ford would make sure that the bare facts of Evan getting him off that rocky hillside would certainly be known. His brothers should know that Evan would do whatever was necessary to help out...whether it was as a rodeo rider, a horse trainer, a money raiser, an advertisement, or Captain America coming to save the day.


	5. Chapter 5

A couple months later, Ford was approaching graduation with mixed feelings. Again, things were going to change—not just for the family this time, but for him personally. He'd won several scholarships and a grant so he wouldn't have to borrow too much money for school, and he'd been accepted at UC Davis. That would mean living in the dorm during the week, and he wasn't sure how well he'd like that. Of course, discussions with Daniel and Evan about sleeping in motels and the truck proved the situation could certainly be worse. And Crane passed Ford a lot of good information and tips about college.

The high school had an awards program the day before graduation, and everyone was home to see Ford receive the scholarships and his diploma. Ford felt bittersweet about the upcoming changes, but he loved having the whole family there to cheer him on.

After the awards program, Hannah and Molly made a special celebration dinner with Ford's favorite foods. The loud, rowdy, family party made Ford feel whole and loved, and he relished and cherished every moment. When they finally finished eating, Adam called a family meeting. Ford blinked in surprise; he didn't remember having one when Daniel and Evan graduated.

As they settled in the living room, Crane had the account books, so Ford figured something was going on financially. He realized that pretty soon, he'd be helping keep those ledgers balanced.

Adam started the meeting. "Ford, we're all very proud of you. But we've been thinking about your tuition and fees."

Ford blinked in surprise and looked around. "Well...uh...you know I got those scholarships. That'll help some. And I've got a grant and then I'll get loans for the rest. Hannah and I have been working with the guidance counselor at school for a long time." He beamed at his sister-in-law.

Instead, Crane had another answer. "Whatever isn't covered by your scholarships and the grant, have the bills sent to the ranch. Or we'll set up another account for you to pay them yourself."

Ford was confused. "What are you talking about? We don't have the money to cover tuition and books and dorm and..._stuff_."

"Actually, we do."

"Come on. Where are we gonna find that kind of money? Nobody robbed a bank, did they?"

Crane paused as he looked at the ledgers and then pulled out a piece of paper, handing it to Ford. "We've got enough."

It was a bank statement showing a pretty impressive balance. "What is this? Where did we get this money?" Ford knew the ranch was doing better, but this was a _lot_ more than he would have expected in petty cash.

Crane looked around at the family, and Adam nodded for him to continue. "We've been putting money aside for a while, and that's what we've managed to save so far. I think it'll almost be enough for you and Guthrie both to go to school. If we're careful."

Guthrie was sitting beside Ford, and he leaned over to check the total. His eyes popped open, and he pumped his arm in victory, "All right!"

Ford looked at his brothers and sisters-in-law in confusion. "How long have you guys been saving this?"

Crane answered again, "Uuhhh...a while." He eyed the family, "What? A couple years?"

Daniel nodded, "Yeah, just about. It was fall of your junior year."

"Two—? I don't understand."

Adam leaned forward and dropped a hand on Ford's knee, "That's when Evan accidently found the brochures for college in your room. We had a family meeting and decided to start putting money aside."

Brian took up the explanation, "We opened another account at the bank and called it the 'Emergency Fund' 'cause we knew you'd pitch a fit if you found out what we were doing."

Ford felt so bewildered he couldn't concentrate on any one person. "But we've used the money in the emergency fund. A couple times that I remember."

Crane nodded, "It was a good idea to have an emergency fund for real emergencies, too. But the main purpose of the original account was to save money for you two to go to school if you wanted. Since we started it, we've dipped into the savings a couple times, but we always replaced the money we took out. And now, we've actually got a _real_ emergency account separate from this one. That's why there're two of 'em."

Ford was still confused. "Where did the money come from?"

Brian grinned, "Here and there. The ranch has been doing better, but we've always tried to reinvest those profits. So mostly, it's come from any extra work we've been able to find. When I go to the logging camp. And when Daniel works for Walt. The band. Hannah's catering. Evan's horse training."

Ford's head spun as he tried to grasp the idea that his family had done all this so he could continue his education. Then his mind caught on one detail. He turned to Evan. "_Two_ years?"

Evan nodded and shrugged. "Yeah, about that."

Ford felt the color leave his face as he put the pieces together. "Is that when you started entering more rodeos? Going on the road all the time?"

Evan just stared at him. His mouth dropped open then shut without a sound.

Ford nodded slowly, a sick feeling in his gut. "It is, isn't it? And you put most of your prize money into this account, right? All along, you were raising money so I could go to school."

Evan's eyes were full. "Ford—"

Ford shook his head in regret, mentally kicking himself. "And you never said a word. Not even when—" His throat closed abruptly as shame overwhelmed him.

The family watched in confusion. Adam spoke up. "While this feels like a private conversation, we're in a _family_ meeting. Ya want to clue us in?"

Evan had eyes for Ford alone. "Don't."

Ford's voice was rough as he struggled with control. "Don't what? Tell 'em what I did? Tell 'em I don't deserve this? Tell 'em I'm a selfish brat?"

Confused eyes rested on Ford as he turned back to face the family. He shook his head once more at the depth of his misunderstanding and bad behavior. "Y'all remember when Evan came into breakfast before roundup, and he had a black eye?"

The family nodded, clearly still baffled, as gazes flicked between Ford and Evan.

"He didn't get it defending his date the night before. He didn't even _have_ a date." He paused and took a deep breath of resolution. "I hit him. And I accused him of only being interested in his career and being a rodeo star. And I told him we didn't need him and he should just leave and never come back."

All around, mouths dropped open, and eyes widened in shock. Ford hunted for the resolve to continue. Evan returned his gaze with grief filled eyes. Evan had not condemned him despite having every right to do so. That gave Ford the courage to finish. He looked back at his family.

Tears colored his voice. "I was angry that Evan was gone so much. At Brian and Daniel and even Crane, too, but Evan was gone more and more often. And he was supposed to be _here_. I was mad and planning to go off to college myself and everything changing, but I wanted it to stay the same. And I took my anger out on him." He turned his attention back to Evan. "And even though I accused him, even though I hit him, he didn't fight back. And he never said a _word_ about this account when he could have explained everything and defended himself by telling me about it."

Evan shrugged briefly. "It wasn't just my secret. The whole family was in on this; I couldn't blow it."

Ford was having trouble holding on to his emotions. He was overwhelmed by his family's generosity and their sacrifices over two years. And still, by Evan's forgiveness. He rubbed his eyes to keep from openly crying, but he couldn't keep his voice from breaking, "Evan, I'm sorry. I'm really really sorry."

Then Evan was standing and pulling him up into a hug. His voice was a whisper. "Hey, we're done with this, remember? It was a misunderstanding. There's nothing to forgive. It's no big deal."

Ford buried his face in Evan's neck. "It _is_ a big deal. You all _sacrificed_ so I could go to school. I never dreamed—" He paused, "And then I pay ya back by slugging ya and saying those mean, hateful things."

Evan gripped his back. "All right, that's enough; you were upset. We say stuff we don't mean when we're mad—I know that better than anybody. C'mon, we're okay."

Ford nodded, and they finally broke the embrace. He searched Evan's eyes and found no trace of anger or accusation. It shouldn't be this easy.

Evan cupped his neck and grinned, his eyes twinkling. "Come on. This is a celebration! We've been planning this for two years, and it's ain't time for crying!" He turned, "How about a song, Daniel? I feel like dancing!"

Daniel swiped his eyes and grabbed the guitar that was never far from his hand. "Absolutely! Come on, Crane."

Ford looked at his family, feeling the love and understanding. As the music started, Ford shook his head. What an amazing family he had. He moved to hug each of them in gratitude for their hard work on his behalf. They, of course, counted it as nothing...just part of being a family. They wanted him to be happy and able to go as far in life as he wanted...wherever that life might take him. But, like Evan, he knew that this was where he wanted to be—in the warmth and embrace of his family.

I know…big sap fest. I can't help it.


End file.
